Carriage having universal horizontal shifting platform



June 20, 1950 F. KOENIGKRAMER EI'AL 2,512,160

' 1 CARRIAGE HAVING UNIVERSAL HORIZONTAL SHIFTING PLATFORM FiledJuly 3.1946 IN V EN TORS Freeland: fioeniglrnzmer By Han/r ffbezzigkram erPatented June 20, 1950 cesarean na vmc UNIVERSAL. HORIZONTAL SHIFTI NgGPLATFORM Frederichfioenigkramer and Frank'Koenig-kra =mer, Cincinnati,'Qhio, assignorsato.-E...& -K0e:- .nigkramen.6o., Cincinnati, Ohio, acorporation Application Jilly 3,1946, SerialNjo. 631,350

. Iecnims. (CL-311,4),

1i. "This invention-relates to a-ph-ysicia-ns carriage I or litterfor-professional-useinthetreatment or diaghosisof human ailments Anobjector the-inventionisto-prov-ide -a carriage of the character stated,including-simpleanddurable --means- =free -from=-maintenancecosts andservicing troubles; for easily-andexpeditious ly shifting thebody of a--patient relativeto a treatment or diagnostic apparatus whichis=-relativel-y stationary, or incapable-0t rapid adjust-- ments;

Another object isto provide means associa-- tion witna'physician scarriageor'litter,whereby-- the body of a patient maybeshift'ed-smoothlyand without shock orannoyance-tothe patient, for the purposes stated;

Another object is to provide a-u-niversally shift-- abletable foraprofessionalcarriage or the like, including simple and efficientreliable means for locking the table-in any-position of adjustment, suchlocking meansbei-ngalways readily -acces-- sible for instantmanipulation.-

A further object is to provide-the foregoing improvements in a wheeledearriagewhieh isadjusta-ble as to elevation, preferably.bymeans-oiahydrau-lic lift, and capable of being rendered immobile bymeans of a multiple"brake assembly.

The foregoing andother objects are attained by the means-describedhereinand illustrated-by the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is aside elevational-view of theimproved physician s carriage orlitter, embodying. the. means ofthe presentinvention.

Fig. 2- is a cross-sectionalview taken on line. 2.x-2v of. Fig- 1,.showing. the. under-side. oi. the.- device..

Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on 1ine.3e-3 of Fig.2.

Fig. 4 istaudetailview, inperspectivashowing;

the mechanism. whereby the. table. is rendered. smoothly and noiselesslyshiftable witha 11ni-. versal movement, in aplaneof. operation.

Although the. device .of. the invention may. be usedioryarious purposes.and under varying circumstances, its. novel features have beenincorporated for the comiortofthe patient and the. conveniece of thephysician or professional practioner. in. the treatment and diagnosis ofdisease or. human ailments. In many instances, and particularly in. thepractice of heat or light ther.-. aDy,.X-.ray treatments andphotography, and the. like,,it iseonsidered desirable at times tosmoothly and gently shift the patient while u de o n treatmentprexamination. This cannotordinarilybeaccomplished by. shifting. thetreating mechusual manner.

; ably: a. rubber tired" wheel I2.

. 2 anism,. or the:carriage in: the norm-al manner, due to. the.factthat an excessive amount of manipulation generally isrequired indoing all. of whichudisturba the patient, or inconveniences thephysician and consumes time that might be more advantageously spentotherwise in the: courseofthe treatment or examination. Moreover, the.device of the invention possesses the advantage of? gneatly'reducingfatigue and the physical effort involved in performance. of

proiessionallservices.such ashave been mentioned above, therebyenablingthe; practioner tov accom, pl-ish; more and. better results in=the pursuit of his practice;

Other and further advantages and. objectives-. will become maniesttotheexperiencedand com.- petent. practioner,.,in .the light-ofthe detaileddescription. which. fol-lows;

With; reference to the drawing, 85. indicates a rectangular chassis uponwhich is mounted the base or housing 1.. of. an hydraulic lift; The-liftincludesaavertical posttB to be elevated and loweredwby fluidpressuregenerated within the head Bias the pump handle III: is manipulated inthe The lift'being of standard con-. struction, need not beii'llustratedand: described in detail-herein.

At the four corners of the chassis aremount- I ed swivel casters; eachof which includes prefer- A..ho0d I3 is .applied-over each ofwthewheels, andthe several. hoods: may. serve as braking means toprecluderotation of the wheel'sand swiveling of the casters about theirVertical. shafts- The brake mechanism, which includes an operatinghandle M, is fully disclosed-in. our issued Patent No. 2,110,227. datedMarch 8; 1 938. For the purposes of the present disclosure, is.suihcient to note that allof the swivel casters may belockedsimultaneously against movement by manipulating the brake lever M...

- The carriage includes.,a table supporting frame comprising a pair-oispaced parallel rigid bars or beams I35 which-extend lengthwise of thetable IT. The frame members l5--l5 may be fixed to the hydraulictliftihead!) in any suitable manner, as'by means of a series of bolts 18.Frame members l5.-l;5 may bein the-form of angle irons in a. horizontalplane. Table H, which is adapted to support thebody. of a patientundergoing exlamination or treatment, may be in the form of a slab ofwood or other material suitably uphols tered as indicated at I9 of Fig.3, the table as a whole being substantially fiat by preference. Thetableslab to which the upholstery material L8 is applied, is indicatedby the character 20. As indicated upon Fig. 1, the table may befurnished with a circumferential bumper or molding strip 2|. It may benoted that the table is in spaced substantial parallelism with the tablesupporting frame l5l5.

In conformity with the objectives of the present invention, table I! issupported upon the frame members l5-I5 for free floating movement in alllateral directions. It is necessary that the table movement, which mayproperly be considing frame l5l5, suitable retaining means may beprovided in the form of cross bars 34 underlying the frame membersIii-45, said cross bars being fixedly suspended from the underface ofthe table 11. For this purpose, hangers in the form of bolts 35 may beanchored in the material of the table and arranged to locate the crossbars 34 at a proper distance beneath the frame members i5 to permit thefree shiftability cred a universal movement, be performed in aneffortless manner, and without disturbing or annoying the patient lyingupon the top of the table. This is accomplished most effectivelyutilizing the simple means now to be described.

To the opposite corresponding ends of the table supporting frame membersare secured, as by means of screws, bolts or other fasteners 22, thecross members 23 each of which carries at its opposite ends a spaciousor enlarged well 24. The base or floor 25 of each well preferably is ofmetal or other hard and smooth sheet material, and is circumscribed bythe upstanding confining. wall 26. Within the wells are placed theanti-friction balls of hard metal or other dense material, and uponwhich rests table 11. Movement of the anti-friction balls within thewells, is limited only by the upstanding confining walls 26, so that theballs may roll freely in all directions within the wells, at least tothe extent permitted by the confining walls 26. As indicated upon'Fig.4, the frame members l5 may be utilized in closing one side of eachwell.

From the foregoing, it will readily be evident that a table such as H,resting solely upon the anti-friction balls 21, may be noiselessly andeasily shifted in all lateral directions to an extent determined by thesize or area of the several wells 24. To ensure smooth and easyuniversal shifting of the table relative to its supporting frame I 5-45, the underface of the table may be furnished with a series of flatmetallic wear plates 28, one above each anti-friction ball. Plates 28may be secured to the table in any suitable manner, as by means ofscrews or other fasteners 29.

In that form of the invention herein disclosed, limits of movement ofthe table are established by means of the spaced parallel arms 30-3l,which constitute bumper frames applied to the cross members 23 at thelocations 32, and adapted to contact the bumpers 33 fixed to theunderface of the table, Bumpers 33 may be of rubber or other resilientmaterial, and they depend sufficiently beneath the plane of the table tocontact the arms or the base of a bumper frame whenever the table isshifted to the limit established by said frames. The bumpers 33 andtheir cooperative frames serve to relieve the confining walls of thewell of undue stresses resulting from extreme movements of the table toits maximum limits of travel. The bumper frames may be rectangular or ofany other shape, rather than U-shaped as illustrated by the drawing. Asis obvious, the bumper frames may be fixed to the table supportingframes in any suitable manner, the mounting means illustrated by thedrawing being by way of example only. If desired, the bumpers 33 may belocated between the frame members l5-l5, or at opposite sides thereof,without loss of function.

In order to preclude the possibility of lifting the table I! from itsposition upon the support- TI rolling movement in all lateral directionsrole-,-

of the table in all lateral directions, as required. The retaining meansjust described may be variously constructed and designed, the particularstructure of the drawing being suggestive of but one form of means forthe purpose.

To preclude accidental or inadvertent shifting movements of the table,there is provided a suitable brake or look such as is illustrated indetail upon Fig. 3.

The locking means referred to may be in the form of a shoe 36 having aflat face 31 to be advanced fiatwise against the underface 38 of thetable with considerable force. The shoe is mounted upon the tablesupporting frame, and may be guided in its movements toward and from thetable by means of pins 39. The pins may be anchored in the shoe at thelocations 40, if desired, and will be loosely accommodated in the guidebores or apertures 4| and 42. The bore 4| may be formed in a crossmember 43 of the frame, and if desired the bore 42 may be provided inthe head of the lift, as shown. The particular manner of guiding theshoe is, of course, a matter of detail which is not material to theinvention.

To move the shoe into and out of contact with the table, there may beprovided a cam or eccentric 45 mounted fixedly upon an operating shaft46 to be rotated by means of a brake lever 41, which serves to rotatethe cam and thereby elevate or lower the shoe. The shaft 46 may bejournaled in the bearing apertures of the opposed brackets 48-48, whichare fixed to the frame members iii-l5 at 49. Shaft 46 may be furnishedwith two levels 41, if desired, these being located at opposite sides ofthe carriage for convenience of operation. When the lever is rotated toelevate the toe of the cam and thereby force the brake shoe into firmcontact against the underface of the table, shifting movement of thetable is effectively prevented.

Upon Fig. 1, 50 indicates a rod or bar attached to the frame i5l5, anddepending therefrom through a guiding head 51 formed upon a rigidstandard 52 which is fixed to the chassis. This structure serves as ameans to prevent rotation of table ll relative to the chassis of thecarriage.

The angle members 53 of Fig. 2 reinforce the table and serve tostabilize the cross bars 34. Members 53 may be omitted from thestructure, if desired.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes in thestructural details of the device may be made, within the scope of theappended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

* 1. A carriage of the class described, comprising in combination awheeled chassis and a table to support the body of a patient, meansbetween the chassis and the table to support the table for universalhorizontal shifting movement relative to the chassis, said tablesupporting means being in the form of spherical bodies having free tiveto the table and the chassis, means independent of the spherical bodiesfor limiting the lateral movement of the table relative to the chassisand means for limiting movement of said table upward from said chassis.

2. A carriage of the class described, comprising in combination aWheeled chassis and a table to support the body ofv a patient, and meansbetween the chassis and the table to support the table for universalhorizontal shifting movement relative to the chassis, said tablesupporting means being in the form of spherical bodies havingfree-rolling movement in all lateral directions relative to the tableand the chassis, means independent of the spherical bodies for limitingupward movement of said table away from said chassis and a brake shoereciprocable vertically with respect to the chassis and adapted toengage the under side of the table to lift the table from the sphericalbox and cause engagement of said limiting means with the chassis.

3. In a carriage of the class described, the combination of a wheeledchassis including a substantially central lift having a movable headportion, a table to support the human body, a table supporting framebeneath the table and having fixed relationship to the head portion ofthe lift, a plurality of wells near each end of the supporting frame,said wells each including a smooth hard-surfaced bottom wall, a hardspherical body in each well resting freely upon the bottom Wall, saidwells being substantially of greater area than the diameter of thespherical bodies, whereby the latter have free rolling movement oversubstantial areas of the wells, the table having a smooth underfaceresting upon the spherical bodies for universal shifting movement of thetable in all directions parallel to the bottom walls of the wells, stopmeans independent of the spherical bodies between the table and. saidchassis for limiting lateral movement of said table relative to saidchassis and means for limiting movement of said table upwardly from saidchassis.

4. In a carriage of the class described, the combination of a wheeledchassis including a substantially central lift having a movable headportion, a table to support the human body, a table supporting framebeneath the table and having fiXed relationship to the head portion ofthe lift, a plurality of wells near each end of the supporting frame,said wells each including a smooth hard-surfaced bottom wall, a hardspherical body in each well resting freely upon the bottom wall, saidwells being substantially of greater area than the diameter of thespherical bodies, whereby the latter have free rolling movement oversubstantial areas of the wells, the table having a smooth underfaceresting upon the spherical bodies for universal shifting movement of thtable in all directions parallel to the bottom walls of the wells, stopmeans independent of the spherical bodies between said table and saidchassis for limiting lateral movement of said table relative to saidchassis, means for limiting upward movement of said table away from saidchassis and Gil brake means for locking the table relative to thesupporting frame.

5. In a carriage of the class described, the combination of a wheeledchassis including a substantially central lift having a movable headportion, a table to support the human body, a table supporting framebeneath the table and having fixed relationship to the head portion ofthe lift, a plurality of wells near each end of the supporting frame,said wells each including a smooth hard-surfaced bottom wall, a hardspherical body in each well resting freely upon the bottom wall, saidwells being substantially of greater area than the diameter of thespherical bodies, whereby the latter have free rolling movement oversubstantial areas of the wells, the table having a smooth underfaceresting upon the spherical bodies for universal shifting movement of thetable in all directions parallel to the bottom walls of the wells, aflat-faced brake shoe mounted upon the table supporting frame forvertical movement only, and manually operative means to selectivelyelevate the flat face of the shoe into firm contact with the table, forprecluding free shifting movement of the latter while tending to liftthe table from contact with the spherical bodies, and bumper meansexteriorly of the wells for limiting the universal shifting movements ofthe table upon lowering of the brake shoe.

6. A carriage of the class described comprising in combination a wheeledchassis and a table to support the body of a patient, means between thechassis and the table to support the table for universal lateralshifting movement relative to the chassis, said table supporting meansbeing in the form of spherical bodies having free rolling movement inall lateral directions relative to the table and chassis, means forlimiting relative lateral movement of said table and chassis, means forlimiting upward movement of said table away from said chassis, andbraking means between said table and said chassis, said braking meansincluding a flat-faced brake shoe mounted upon the chassis for verticalmovement only and manually operative means to selectively elevate theflat face of the shoe into firm contact with the table for precludingfree shifting movement of the table while tending to lift the table fromcontact with the spherical bodies to engage said limiting means with thechassis.

FREDERICK KOENIGKRAMER. FRANK KOEN'IGKRAMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,110,838 Taylor Sept. 15, 19142,035,321 Koenigkramer et a1. Mar. 24, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS NumberCountry Date 183,210 Germany Apr, 5, 1907 352,959 Germany Apr. 20, 1922372,597 Germany Mar. 29, 1923

